Chapter 19
The city outside the window was like a picture captured in a frame.
Vindobona was not the largest city in Germania, and its status as the capital of the country came only because it was the seat of power of the current ruling emperor. Even so, it was still at least three times larger than Tristania, with a proportionately greater population to match. The streets teemed with so much life that it looked like the surface of a disturbed ants' nest.
"Your Highness, if you'll please hold your breath for a moment," said the servant who was helping Henrietta put on her dress.
Henrietta obliged, and let out a quiet grunt when the strings of her corset was pulled tightly against her. She looked at the mirror and grimaced.
"A little tight, no?" Henrietta said, as she looked at the body length mirror next to her.
She was far from a large woman; in fact, she was quite slender. However, the corset was so tight that it made her waist appear as though it was one size skinnier than before, while emphasizing her breasts in a way that the reverse was true. It made it difficult to even bend her back, and there was a constant pressure on her stomach that forced every breath to be taken consciously.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," said the servant. "I have my orders."
Orders to do what? Suffocate me? While focusing on her breathing, Henrietta looked out the window again and gave a small, humorless smile as she was suddenly struck by a sense of deja vu.
The first day of what was to be the week long celebration for Henrietta and Emperor Albrecht's engagement had come at last. Guests and merchants from all around the country were coming to attend, and the forty princes would be hosted within the palace itself. But while she watched the princes and other nobility arrive at Vindobona through her window by ship or by carriage, she had been relegated to her room so as to create a bigger impact when she made her appearance at last.
The dress that the servant helped her don was not one of hers. It had been a gift from Emperor Albrecht, specially designed to symbolize the unity between their two countries. It was made from the finest samite and bore the colors of both their countries. It was quite garish, truth be told, but Germanians tended to have a certain affection for the ostentatious.
If women in Alex's world are permitted to wear pants, I wonder if that means they do not have to wear corsets either? Henrietta wondered idly, as she turned around in a circle in front of the mirror. By the Founder, how envious I would be if that were so.
As her makeup was being applied, someone knocked on her door. "Please wait a moment," Henrietta called out until after they were done. "Come in."
The door opened, and Henrietta was mildly surprised to find Emperor Albrecht himself enter the room. When he saw her, he broke out into a wide smile.
"Leave us alone," he ordered the servant, who bowed and left the room. He looked at Henrietta from top to bottom and beamed in a way that reminded Henrietta of a wolf after a successful kill. "You are beautiful."
"You are too kind, Your Majesty," Henrietta said, curtsying gracefully.
He replied with a bow of his own, and held out his hand for her. "If I may have the honor of escorting you to the hall, Your Highness?"
Must we put on a show even when there is no one else around? Henrietta thought exasperatedly, whilst outwardly putting on a smile and gently accepting his hand. She noticed that his palms were rough and callused. "The honor would be mine, Your Majesty."
Linking arms with each other, the two of them walked down to the great hall, where two armed soldiers opened the massive oaken doors for them.
It was customary for a gathering of princes in Germania to take place at a round table. It signified that none stood above the other, in name at least, and it was a reminder that even the emperor was in his position because he had been chosen by his peers... and that they could just as easily take it away.
Emperor Albrecht had eschewed that tradition. There was no round table in the hall; only a single horizontal line that ran through the center of the room, all facing towards the table atop the emperor's dais. Henrietta glanced briefly at Emperor Albrecht with a worried look. This was a clear message from the emperor to the other princes: that they were all equal... under him.
Henrietta could feel a headache coming on. No wonder there are those who want me dead. She wished that she did not need to be here.
The doors groaned open and the guests began to arrive. Lady Joanna was the first, as she had already been present in the palace. She was here as the representative of her husband, something which seemed to irk the emperor if the way his lips twitched into a frown was any sign. She had a similar reaction, however, pausing when she saw the way the tables were set up. But that lasted only for a brief moment. Then she gracefully went to seat herself at the centermost table in the line, directly facing both the emperor and Henrietta.
Soon the other princes streamed into the hall. They all reacted the same as Lady Joanna, though to varying degrees of intensity. Some had their faces twist into clear indignation and anger; others were far more successful at masking their emotions. None were pleased. For a brief moment, Henrietta thought that there might be those who would burst out in rage, but they all quietly took their seats instead. The absolute silence that fell upon them was like an unlit powder keg just waiting to blow.
As the last of the guests arrived and the doors of the great hall closed shut, Emperor Albrecht pursed his lips tightly together. Fury radiated off him in palpable waves. It was clear why he was so upset; nearly a quarter of the princes were not in attendance. More, they had not even deigned to send a representative in their place, as Prince Arduin had.
It was a clear insult, if not outright treachery.
"I'll have their heads for this," Emperor Albrecht seethed.
Henrietta said nothing, not wanting to bring herself to her fiance's attention while he was so wroth.
The other princes also took notice of their missing peers and began to murmur among themselves. What happened? Where were they? What message were they trying to send? Those were common refrains that Henrietta picked up from their hushed conversations.
One among the princes then stood up with a glass of wine in hand. He was an oddity in the room, being much younger than everyone here save for Henrietta herself, and even then he was not older by much. With his smooth skin and boyish countenance, Henrietta could not imagine him to be one of the princes. Perhaps he was a representative like Lady Joanna instead? The eldest son, mayhaps?
"Your Majesty," the young man said, his voice smooth as silk. "It would seem there are those who have chosen to disregard your generosity out of jealous spite. Let us not allow their absence to ruin the festivities. Today is meant to be a good day. It is a good day. May you and Her Highness live a long coupled life."
And just like that, some of the emperor's tensions melted away. He nodded and raised his own cup, and the boy led the toast in his honor. "To His Majesty!"
"To His Majesty!" came the resounding chorus.
"To Her Highness!"
"To Her Highness!"
Then they all tilted their heads back and drank deeply from their cups. As Henrietta drank her wine, it spread a warmth through her body that lasted long after she set her cup back down. She touched her cheek lightly with her fingertips, hoping that her face had not flushed too brightly. But as the warmth became stronger and stronger, especially in her chest, she realized that it was not just because of the alcohol. This was something else entirely. Something a little bit... familiar.
"Alex?" she whispered softly to herself, almost in disbelief, just before the sound of shouts and gunfire were heard outside the hall.
The unseen clash outside settled. Then the doors slammed open, and a single person stood at its threshold.
"What is the meaning of this?" Emperor Albrecht shouted, rising to his feet. The guards stationed inside the hall all leveled their muskets at Alex, but he ignored all of them and made straight for the young man who had made the toast.
The young man's eyes went wide, as he drew a wand and pointed it at Alex. But before he could cast a spell, Alex dashed forward, cutting the space between them to nothing. He lifted the young man up off the ground by the neck. Then he raised his spare arm, its hand morphing into talon-like claws, and Henrietta knew what it was that he meant to do.
"Alex!" she cried out, her heart hammering in her ears even as it tried to rip its way out of her throat. "Stop!"
For a moment, Henrietta feared that Alex would not listen. His claws came dangerously close to the young man's flesh. But inches away from piercing skin, those razor sharp claws froze in the air. He looked at her, and his expression seemed almost surprised. A wave of relief stole the strength in Henrietta's legs. She slumped back into her seat, not having noticed that she had stood up in alarm.
"You know this... creature?" Emperor Albrecht looked at her in astonishment.
"He is my familiar, Alex Mercer," Henrietta explained quickly without looking at him. "Alex, what are you trying to do? Let him go. He has done no one any harm."
Alex's eyes flickered from her to the young man and back again. His glare softened, though not by much. "Is that what you think?" he scoffed. He threw the young man to the ground in front of Henrietta. "Tell her what you've done," he ordered the man. "Tell her, Nagel."
"I don't know what you are talking about," the young man hissed, wincing as he nursed his wrist, which he had landed on poorly when Alex threw him. "You will pay for this. I am the son of the Prince of Hessan. Your head will roll."
Alex snarled and picked Nagel up again. "I know exactly who you are. I know everything that you and your father have done and what you have planned."
"Alex, please," Henrietta said. "What in the world are you talking about?"
"This man here is the one who had Ingemar hire those assassins to try to kill you," Alex said, never letting his hate-filled eyes leave the man whom he held. "He did it because his father told him to. They're planning a rebellion, and they wanted you out of the picture."
"What nonsense is this?" Nagel said, as he struggled in Alex's grip. "What slander? Do you think us all so stupid that we would believe such insanity? Without even a single shred of proof? If you say this because my lord father did not attend this feast himself, it is only because he has fallen ill."
"These are serious accusations to make," Emperor Albrecht agreed, speaking in slow, deliberate tones. He stared at Alex. "It is not a declaration that can be lightly made."
Alex's eyes switched over to the emperor, and for a brief moment there was a flash in his eyes that Henrietta did not at all like. "I'm not here to prove anything to you," he spat. "I'm here to kill him. Then I'm taking you back to Tristain, Henrietta. We need to get you somewhere safe."
The emperor's hand immediately went and wrapped tightly around Henrietta's – too tightly, in fact. She winced at the man's much stronger grip, but the emperor had not noticed that he was hurting her. He was angrier now that she had ever seen him before.
"You dare break into my palace and try to steal my fiancee?" he snarled. "I've heard enough. Guards! Arrest him!"
Alex dropped Nagel again and readied his claws, taking a low, primal stance, like a lion ready to pounce.
No! Henrietta opened her mouth to scream, but found that she couldn't. If her heart had been trying to pry itself free from her body before, now it had decided to stop working at all. She couldn't breathe, and had to consciously force herself to gasp for air. "Your Majesty..." she began a second later, as she finally found her voice again.
"Your Majesty, please wait!" a new voice from the doors cried out, cutting her off before she could beg for clemency on Alex's behalf. "He speaks the truth!"
There was a ripple of movement as all heads turned to face the newcomer: a boy of perhaps only twelve or thirteen years of age. Despite his youth, however, he walked confidently across the room to kneel before the emperor.
"You!" Nagel hissed, eyes wide. "How are you–"
"Alive, Brother?" the boy finished with a smirk. "You have Alex to thank for that. He killed those men you sent after me, just as I expect he did the same to the ones you had sent after Princess Henrietta."
"Is my palace so unmanned that now even a child may enter at will?" Emperor Albrecht bemoaned. "What are my guards doing?"
"That, too, you have Alex to thank for, I fear," the boy admitted sheepishly, as he glanced over at Alex, whose eyes narrowed in response. "He was not exactly gentle on his way in."
Henrietta gave Alex a horrified look, to which he shrugged in response. "Didn't kill anyone," he simply said.
Emperor Albrecht growled. "So, who are you? And what proof have you that this creature speaks the truth?"
"My name is Alois von Ainbach, Your Majesty," the boy replied. "Second son to Tabbart, the Prince of Hessan, and younger brother of Nagel, who lies on the floor now before you. As for proof, I bring you this."
With a flourish of his thin arms, the boy withdrew a single sealed scroll from his pocket. One of the nearby guards accepted the rolled up parchment and went up the dais to hand it over to Emperor Albrecht. He broke the seal, unfurled the scroll, and as he read through its contents, his face became more and more livid.
"How dare they!?" he roared, throwing the scroll to the ground.
Curious as to its contents, Henrietta picked the scroll back up to see what had been written on the parchment. Her eyes widened at what she saw. It was a secret pact between thirteen princes, including the Prince of Hessan, signed in blood.
"How did you come upon this pledge?" Henrietta asked.
"I've always known of it, Your Highness, but it was not until recently that I could act upon it," Alois explained. "One year ago, my father began to secretly court the other princes who were discontent with His Majesty's rule. He promised them that, together, they would shatter the Germanian Empire and return every principality to a kingdom unto itself. I disagreed with such a plan, but my brother did not. He and my father imprisoned me to keep me quiet. When at last I attempted my escape, my brother sent assassins to silence me forever, which is when I met Alex. He was looking for a man named Tobias of Gimsburg" – he shot a questioning look at Alex – "whom I helped him find, before departing to parts unknown. With the soldiers I borrowed from my uncle, Count Griswold, I then infiltrated the Palace of Wesboden through a secret escape tunnel, subdued its garrison, and then searched the palace until we at last found this proof of treachery."
"That is a morbid tale," Henrietta said. "But I do not understand. If what you and Alex say is true, then why is he here?" She pointed over at Nagel, who stewed in a glowering silence.
"Perhaps he meant to assassinate His Majesty before my father and his allies attack." Alois shrugged apologetically. "Unfortunately, imprisoned as I was, I am not privy to the finer details of their plot."
Emperor Albrecht stared into his wine cup, swirling its contents around in his hand. "An assassination is not what he is after. By the Founder, it is much simpler." He looked up and glared at Nagel. "If I were to guess, I would say that tonight, or perhaps in the nights later this week, he and his men meant to open the city gates for the traitors' armies, which I imagine we should be able to find by sending scouts to the nearby valleys and mountains. With just that, they could take the city in a single night. Am I wrong?"
"What can I say?" Nagel spat. "You are correct. I have nothing to say in my defense – nothing but this: who is the true traitor here?" He slowly stood up and faced not Emperor Albrecht nor Henrietta nor his brother nor Alex, but the other princes in attendance. "Who is the true traitor here?" he said again. "Who is it that has seated you below him, though it was you – us – who raised him to his lofty pedestal in the first place? Who is the one who, even now, tries to overthrow every tradition of the Germanian people? Once you were all kings. Today you are princes. Tomorrow, you will be naught but mere slaves, serving Emperor Albrecht's family for all time. Is that what you want? I cannot believe that it is. It is not too late, my lords. Even now, my father will accept you to his cause. Even now, you can still become kings. All you need to do is–"
Blood spurted out of Nagel's mouth. When he looked down in wide-eyed fascination, he saw steely claws jutting out of his chest.
"All right," Alex said, as he pulled his claws free from Nagel's body and flicked the blood off his hands. "That's enough out of you."
Silence reigned in the hall. Emperor Albrecht stared at Nagel's corpse on the ground for a moment with furious eyes, as blood continued to pool underneath it. He then leveled that gaze upon each of the attending princes and representatives in turn.
"Go and arrest the rest of his men," he ordered his guards. "They are to be executed immediately for the crime of treachery."
"At once, Your Majesty," the guards said, before they ran out the doors.
"My princes," Emperor Albrecht said, standing up to face the room. "You have heard now the words of the traitor. I have little doubt that an attack will soon be imminent. However, I assure you that you shall all be safe here. In the palace."
All the princes there erupted into uproar, save for Lady Joanna who calmly took another sip of her wine.
"You cannot be serious, Albrecht!" one grizzled old prince said. "You cannot imprison us here! That goes beyond your rights!"
"I do no such thing, Your Excellency," Emperor Albrecht said. "You and your men are, of course, free to leave whenever you please. But if you mean to abandon your emperor in a time such as this, I can only assume that you intend to join the enemy."
"You bastard," the old man growled, clenching his teeth and fists tightly.
Emperor Albrecht smiled humorlessly. "I jest, of course. I know that you are a loyal subject. You came here at my invitation, unlike those traitors, did you not? And so, let us work together to protect the sanctity of our empire. Once this is all over, I swear to you all that you shall be well rewarded."
The old man snarled wordlessly before turning on his heels and stomping out of the hall. The rest of the princes soon followed. Eventually, only Lady Joanna and a handful of other princes remained as they were.
Meanwhile, Henrietta felt like she was about to collapse to the ground. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest that she felt like it was going to explode. She could not believe what was happening, what had happened. And yet there could be no running away from this. It had already begun.
It was the start of a Germanian civil war.